IndiGo cancels over 650 flights on Sun; ops slowly stabilise
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): The country's largest airline IndiGo on Sunday cancelled over 650 flights while the disrupted operations were slowly stabilising as the number of cancellations reduced and more than Rs 610 crore worth ticket refunds were processed for the affected passengers.
While IndiGo will carry out a "root cause analysis" into flight disruptions that continued for the sixth consecutive day, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said passengers have endured mental harassment and distress due to the operational crisis and assured that steps are being taken to ensure accountability is fixed.
The board of IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation has set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG), which is meeting regularly to monitor the situation, an announcement said on Sunday.
The airline expects operations to stabilise by December 10.
The civil aviation ministry, which has taken various measures, including capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite ticket refund process, on Sunday said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.
The civil aviation ministry, which has taken various measures, including capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite ticket refund process, on Sunday said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.
IndiGo's flight operations have increased from 706 on Friday to 1,565 on Saturday and are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of Sunday, the ministry said.
The ministry also said IndiGo has processed Rs 610 crore refunds and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across the country as of Saturday.
IndiGo said it will be operating 1,650 flights of its 2,300 daily domestic and international flights on Sunday, and 650 remain cancelled for the day.
At the Delhi airport, at least 118 flights were cancelled on Sunday, while the number was 121 at Mumbai airport, officials said.
In a video message to the staff, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said, "step by step, we are getting back" and that the airline's on time performance (OTP) is expected to be 75 per cent.
The OTP, an indicator of punctuality, was 20.7 per cent on Saturday, as per the latest official data.
A senior airline official on Sunday told PTI that it will do a "root cause analysis" and asserted that the carrier has adequate number of pilots and there is no deficiency.
"Our pilot numbers are fine while we may not be having the luxury of a buffer," the official told PTI.
He also said there has been no hiring freeze amid concerns being raised in certain quarters that lean-operating model might have led to the current situation.
Lack of proper crew planning while implementing the new flight duty norms is being cited as a key reason for the significant operational disruptions.
According to the ministry, all other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo's performance has shown steady improvement on Sunday, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels.
A statement issued by IndiGo said its Board of Directors is doing everything possible to take care of the challenges faced by its customers and ensure refunds to passengers.
IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation is a listed company.
Meanwhile, a Parliamentary panel is also likely to summon top airline executives and aviation regulator DGCA officials over the significant disruptions.
Opposition party Congress also took a swipe at the government in relation to the flight disruptions.
Against the backdrop of the introduction of airfare caps, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said the Ministry of Civil Aviation has finally woken up and said such price containment should remain in force till a duopoly in the airline sector exists.
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Bombay HC to form high-powered committee on Mumbai air pollution
Mumbai (PTI): The Bombay High Court on Thursday said it would form a high-powered committee to oversee the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in the Mumbai region, noting that the efforts taken so far by state and civic authorities are insufficient.
It was not criticizing anyone but wanted to ensure that "people should live in pure air," said a division bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar.
The HC had in October 2023 taken suo motu cognizance of the rising pollution in the metropolis "which was ranging between good, satisfactory, moderate poor, very poor and severe", the bench noted.
Directions were issued by the court on November 6, 2023, and suggestions were made for short-term, mid-term and long-term measures.
Since then, the HC has made observations expressing dissatisfaction about the steps taken by the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, the judges said.
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) is simply "sailing on its affidavits," but the steps purportedly taken by it were not sufficient, the court stated.
Air pollution in Mumbai has not decreased, in fact it was reported to be very severe in December, said the judges.
"We have apprised ourselves of the previous orders, and find that compliances so far made by (municipal) corporations and MPCB are not sufficient and satisfactory," the court said.
The authorities might have taken serious steps but their results were not visible, it added.
The court expressed inability to examine all the affidavits filed by the municipal corporations and MPCB and reports submitted by an expert committee (formed in 2023), citing the "rising number of dockets and limited hours and time."
After hearing all the parties at length, the high court decided to form a high-powered committee led by a former Supreme Court judge to monitor the compliance of measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and the surrounding areas.
The committee should meet on a daily basis, the court said, adding that its members should be provided necessary facilities.
The bench also referred to a suggestion that the citizens affected by pollution should be compensated.
The lawyer for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation said there are existing statutory bodies to look into this aspect.
"Maybe there are statutory bodies formed in Maharashtra, but then we have not come across any suggestion or action taken by such a body in the present proceedings..." the court said, adding that it was inclined to give "some powers" to the committee.
The court is expected to finalize the names of the committee members in its written order.
